Freedom to serve

Religious liberty is more than the freedom to worship, though worship is an essential expression in virtually every religious tradition. Minimally, religious liberty certainly safeguards the freedom to worship. But a robust religious liberty, as our Constitution enshrines it and as the Creator has inscribed it in our hearts through the natural law, is also the freedom to live out the implications of our religious faith in the public as well as the private dimensions of our lives. As Christians we are called not only to love God, but also to love our neighbor. Service to God requires service to our neighbor.

For the third consecutive year, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is sponsoring a Fortnight for Freedom calling Catholics as well as other people of faith and good will to reflect upon the importance of religious freedom in our society and in our world. The Fortnight is an opportunity to pray, to study and to advocate for religious freedom, which is being threatened not only in faraway places, but also here in the United States.